


just three words

by animalcrossings



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 16:37:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21497191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animalcrossings/pseuds/animalcrossings
Summary: ricky bowen struggles to say the three simplest words on the planet — i love you. he wants nothing more to tell his girlfriend, nini, but soon he questions if that’s what he really wants at all.
Relationships: redky, ricky bowen/big red
Comments: 1
Kudos: 69





	just three words

**Author's Note:**

> my first fic so i hope it’s good!

‘it’s just three words’ ricky told himself as he sat in front of his mirror practicing the way he was going to say it to nini. every time he opened his mouth, nothing came out. he spent many afternoons like this, trying to find the words, but it always ended in frustration and silence. the problem was, he wasn’t accustomed to hearing those words very often. with his parents fighting and his family life in shambles, its no wonder ricky couldn’t bring himself to say it. all the other relationships in his life had gone wrong — all except for nini. he wasn’t about to mess this one up. 

it comes as a shock when she does it. nini says those three little words and ricky’s head starts spinning. it’s like tv static goes through his mind as he tries to recite the phrase he’s been practicing for weeks, but it seems as though he’s at a loss for words again. rather, he musters a timid “oh” before hurriedly grabbing his things and leaving. he doesn’t know why he told nini they should take a break; his brain just told him to without second thought. the second he gets home he slumps down in front of the mirror and lets the floodgates open, tears streaming down his face as he mourns missed opportunities. he hears his phone ring and lets the call from big red go to voicemail. 

—

“it’s just three words” ricky says to red as they walk into school on their first day of junior year. “as soon as i see her i’m gonna tell her.”

“weren’t you guys on a break?” red says, looking at ricky confusedly. 

“well yeah, but we didn’t break up or anything. it was just a short break while she was at camp. she knows that.” he replies, unsure of who he’s trying to convince, red or himself. 

his interaction with nini is a blur. the second he sees her, his brain turns to jelly, all hopes of relaying his message thrown out the window. instead, he’s faced with the harsh reality that he just got dumped by the girl of his dreams for a popular senior with instagram clout. 

“holy shit dude...” red breathes out, placing a hand on rickys shoulder. “are you okay man?” 

“yeah. i’m fine.” ricky says as he watches nini and ej kiss in the middle of the lunch room. he hopes nobody else can hear his heart breaking in half. 

—

his choice to audition for the school musical was a big one, and singing a song for nini was incredibly ballsy on his part. in fact, it’s the closest he’s ever gotten to saying those three specific words out loud. she doesn’t take it very well. 

red walks home with ricky. “that was really brave of you to go up there and sing that for her” red says, watching ricky closely. he seems numb from shock, either from getting the role of troy or from nini’s reaction. 

“i know i can still win her back. i know i can” ricky says, half to himself. 

red stays silent the rest of the walk. 

—

one day during rehearsal, nini blows up at ricky. she tells him to take it serious or give up his role to someone who actually wants it. from then on, ricky is devoted to the show — devoted to being troy. he stays up extra late, rewatching high school musical for hours on end, practicing the dances. he wants to prove that he’s good enough for her, prove that he can be the troy to her gabriella. 

nothing seems to change her mind. she and ej seem perfectly fine, being the lovey dovey couple as always. ricky can’t take it anymore. he stands up from the lunch table and rushes off to the bathroom. he locks himself in a stall and buries his head in his hands. a few seconds later, the door creaks open. 

“ricky?” whispers a voice, soft and unsure. 

“what do you want, red?” ricky’s reply is muffled by the sleeve of his jacket. 

the sound of footsteps echo in the small bathroom until red reaches the stall on the far left. “just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

when it’s clear he won’t be getting an answer, red sits down in front of the stall door and leans against the wall. “you’re better off without her, y’know.” 

the only sound from then until the time the bell rings is ricky’s quiet sobs. 

—

ricky’s mom comes home from chicago. he’s greeted with a flurry of kisses and “i love you, i missed you!” but the words are meaningless. it’s only a matter of hours before she’s gone again. packed up her stuff and left for good. ricky is faced with the unthinkable: his parents really are getting a divorce and his mom is moving away permanently. 

he’s been upset in his room for an hour when he hears a gentle knock at the door. ricky looks up to see red standing in the doorway. “your dad let me in. i hope that’s alright.”

he walks over to ricky’s bed and embraces the other boy in a tight hug. they sit in a comfortable silence until ricky is calm enough to speak. 

“they’re just three words. my mom said them to me and look what happened. now she’s gone, the words meant nothing. i wonder-“ ricky pauses sniffling. “i wonder if nini even meant them.” 

red doesn’t know what to say. he passes ricky another tissue and murmurs “it’s okay, it’s okay.”

—

nini is dating gina.  
it’s all the school can talk about. 

it hasn’t even been a month since nini and ej broke up, time that ricky spent hopelessly pining to no avail. it seems he’s finally found the reason why. 

ricky approaches nini before rehearsal one day. “hi.” 

“...hi” she replies, her expression giving nothing away. 

“so.. you and gina huh?” he tries to start up the conversation. 

“don’t come to me and say some homophobic bullshit. you and i? we’re done, ricky. we’ve been done for, like, ever.” nini snaps. 

“i’m not homophobic! i just didn’t know you were...” he trails off. 

“bi, for your information. not like my sexuality is any of your business anyway.” she scoffs, turning her back to him. 

“i’m happy for you.” he says. she gives him a look of disbelief. “seriously! i am.” 

“well... thanks i guess.” 

“c-can we be friends again? unless it’s too weird and you hate me which is fine i totally understand i was just hoping that maybe-“ ricky starts and nini stops him. “you’re rambling. but yes, we can be friends again.” ricky leaves rehearsal that day with a grin plastered across his face. he completely forgets he was supposed to walk home with red again.

it isn’t until 5:30pm when he gets a text from red that he remembers. 

red:  
ricky? where did you go? what happened?

ricky:  
oh fuck red i’m so sorry i forgot we were supposed to walk home again today. but guess what! i got to talk to nini and it actually went okay! she said we can go back to being friends which is one step closer to getting back together!

red:  
isn’t she dating gina now?

ricky:  
well yeah, but you saw how long she and ej lasted, this probably won’t be any different.

red:  
yeah.... i guess

ricky smiles all goofily just thinking about it. meanwhile, in another house a few blocks down, red pops in his headphones and clicks on his favorite playlist. “out of my league” by fitz and the tantrums starts to play, and red lays down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. he can’t ignore the feeling in his stomach any longer. 

—

ricky and red are sitting in red’s room on a friday night when ricky brings it up. “it was just three words, man. why couldn’t i say them to her?” he sighs, slumping down in a chair. 

“well, those words are pretty hard to say” red says, looking down at his feet. 

“please. not like you’ve ever had to say them to anyone.” ricky scoffs. 

red’s gaze jerks up suddenly. “my fucking god how oblivious can you be? i love you, ricky bowens. i’ve been in love with you since the sixth grade from the moment when you sat down next to me in Mrs. Anderson’s class and pulled out that stupid tiny skateboard and told me you wanted to be just like tony hawk. all these years and i’ve said NOTHING! i’ve kept quiet because it’s painfully obvious that you don’t return the feeling! so yeah, it’s fucking hard to tell someone you love them. i’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to pass but it never comes because it’s always ‘nini this, nini that’ and i’m tired of it! open your eyes ricky, and accept the fact that maybe the world doesn’t revolve around you for once.” red is shaking and tears are rolling down his freckled cheeks. 

ricky opens his mouth to say something but all that comes out is “oh.” 

“i think you should leave.” red’s voice quavers but he seems dead serious. ricky grabs his skateboard and goes. 

—-

the monday back to school is the worst. ricky spends the day looking for red, wanting to apologize, but his friend his nowhere to be seen. he’s not even there for rehearsal. ricky eats alone in the lunchroom and walks himself home from school. he stops by his house to drop off his bag. while he’s there, he begins to think. 

all along, red had been there for him. through thick and thin, his best friend had been there for him. suddenly, ricky starts to see red in a new light. red, the guy who always checks up on him to make sure he’s okay. red, his closest, most trustworthy friend who he tells everything. red, the one person in his life who always has his back. he makes a quick phone call. 

“nini, how did you know you were bi?”  
“um.. well, when i looked at gina and thought about her, it gave me butterflies in my stomach the same way i used to think about ej or you.”  
“great thanks.”

ricky grabs his skateboard and rushes to red’s house. red’s mom lets him in. “he hasn’t been feeling well, but you’re welcome to go see him.” 

ricky stands by red’s door, hesitating as he reaches for the doorknob. he opts to knock instead. “come in” is the reply. 

ricky’s legs feel wobbly as he makes his way toward red, who is laying under a heap of covers on his bed. an empty strawberry ice cream container sits on his bedside table. red looks up for a second, a shadow eclipsing his face when he sees who it is. “oh. it’s you.” 

ricky struggles to find the words to speak. “red i’m so sorry.”

“can it, bowens. save your apology for someone else. like nini perhaps. care to apologize to her for the thousandth time?” his tone is laced with bitterness and hurt. 

ricky sits down at the foot of the bed. 

“i-i’ve never been good with words-“

“yeah, rick, i think you’ve made that abundantly clear.” 

“would you just- ugh!” ricky slams a fist down on the comforter. he feels the butterflies. red sits up, his eyes red and puffy from crying. the two sit for a couple seconds in awkward silence. 

“just kiss me god damnit.” ricky says at last, leaning forward and pressing his lips against red’s. the ginger boy is shocked at first, but kisses back. 

ricky pulls away. “i’ve never been good with words. but you make me feel some sort of way. i’ve been too caught up in my own emotions to even think about yours. and i’m sorry. you didn’t deserve that.”

red watches him intently, gently lacing his fingers with ricky’s. 

“but i know now. and red, i think i love you.” 

red can’t stop the smile that crosses his face as he wraps his arms around ricky and plants a kiss on his cheek. “i’m so proud of you.” he murmurs into the other boys ear. “and i love you too.”


End file.
